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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL6 source sections across 2 headwords matching “Foil”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
FOILEnglish (en) · Unnumbered etymologySource text
Acronym of first outer inner last or similar.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗foilEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
From Middle English foyle, from Middle French fueille, from Old French fueille (“plant leaf”), from Late Latin folia, the plural of folium, mistaken as a singular feminine. The literary sense is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly. Doublet of folio and folium, distantly also with phyllo and phyllon.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗foilEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
From Middle English foilen (“spoil a scent trail by crossing it”), from Old French fouler (“tread on, trample”), ultimately from Latin fullō (“to trample, full”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗foilEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
From French foulis.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗foilEnglish (en) · Etymology 4Source text
From mnemonic acronym FOIL (“First Outside Inside Last”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗foilEnglish (en) · Etymology 5Source text
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Chambers (1908)
1908- FoilEnglish · e-38538-1912
Foil, foil, v.t. to defeat: to puzzle: to disappoint: (Spens.) to beat down or trample with the feet:—pr.p. foil′ing; pa.p. foiled.—n. failure after success seemed certain: defeat: a blunt sword used in fencing, having a
Read the full source record → - FoilEnglish · e-38538-1913
Foil, foil, n. a leaf or thin plate of metal, as tin-foil: a thin leaf of metal put under precious stones to increase their lustre or change their colour: anything that serves to set off something else: a small arc in th
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